Rock drill



Dec. 26, 1944. E. G. ARTIN 2,365,684

ROCK DRILL FiledSept. 18, 1941 Patented Dec. 26, 1944 ROCK DRILL ElmerG. Gartin, Claremont, N. H., assignor to Sullivan Machinery Company, acorporation of Massachusetts Application September 18, 1941, Serial No.411,284

16 Claims. ("Cl. Z55-51) This invention relates to rock drills, and moreparticularly to improvements in a guide for the drill steel of a hammerrock drill.

An object oi this invention is to provide an improved drill steel guide.Another object is to provide an improved drill steel guide havingimproved mounting means for the guiding clef ments thereof. A furtherobject is to provide an improved drill steel guide of the pivoted armtype having improved pivotal mounting means for the guide arms. A stillfurther obje-ct is to provide an improved pivotal mounting means for theguide arms of a drill steel guide whereby the guide arms may be swungthrough a relatively wide range. Yet another object is to provide animproved pivotal mounting means for the guide arms of a drill steelguide whereby the guide arms may be swung into their releasednon-guiding position in such manner that the lateral projection of theguide arms is maintained at a minimum. `With the above and other objectsin view, this invention relates to certain novel features ofconstruction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which isFig. 4 is across sectional View taken substantially on line 4 4 of Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a detail cross sectional view taken substantially on line 5 5of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail View in longitudinal vertical section takensubstantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

In this illustrative construction the improved drill steel guide,generally designated l, is shown associated with a conventional hammer4rock drill of the mounted drifter type. It will be evident, however,that the improved drill steel guide may beassociated with drills ofvarious other types.

The hammer rock drill comprises a conventional drill hammer motor 2slidably guided on a conventional guide support 3 commonly known as aguide shell, adapted to be mounted on a con- .Ventional drill support.The hammer'motor has a motor cylinder 4 Icontaining a usualreciprocatory hammer piston (not shown) for percussively actuating adrill steel 5, the latter being supported in a usual chuck within afront chuck housing 6 suitably attached to the front end oi the motorcylinder.` The hammer motor cylinder has lateral guides 1, l slidinglyreceived within longitudinal guideways 8, 8 of the guide shell. Thehammer motor may be fed along the shell guideways, in a well knownmanner, by means of a conventional feed screw engaged with a feed nutcarried by the motor cylinder, so that when the screw is rotated themotor is fed longitudinally relative -to the shell. Since, as abovestated, the rock drill is of a conventional design and is well known tothose skilled in the art, further vdescription and illustrationV thereofare unnecessary.

The improved drill steel guide l `comprises transversely arranged rearand front plates il and l0 secured, as by bolts Il, preferably three innumber, totheforward end of the guide shell 3, and theseplates are heldin proper spaced relation by spacing sleeves I2 interposed between theplates on the bolts. Pivotally mounted on the spacing sleeves on theupper bolts is a pair of cooperating guide arms |3l3 each having anappropriately shaped guiding portion I4. IIhese guide arms are identicalin shape and design and are readily interchangeable so that a singleforging design serves for both arms, thereby to reduce the cost ofmanufacture. The guiding portions of these guide arms are adapted toembrace the body of the drill steel 5 to hold the same centered duringstarting or spotting of a hole, in the manner well known to thoselskilled in the art. The hub I5 of the guide arms are slotted at I6.intermediate their ends to receive portions of rotatable elements Ilwhich are likewise pivotally mounted on the spacing sleeves of the upperbolts, and these elements I1 have surfaces I8 engageable with abutmentsurfaces I9 on the guide arms. Integral with the elements l1 aredepending lugs 20, and a torsion spring 2l encircling the spacing sleeveon the lower bolt has its ends respectively connectedfat 22vto theselugs. The guide arms and thevelements l1 are also mounted on the spacingsleeves of the upper bolts for `bodily sliding movement, and the guidearms have rearwardly projecting locking lugs 23 'engageable with lockingabutments 24I formed on the rear plate 9. Coil springs 25 vencirclingthe spacing sleeves on the upper bolts act on the forward surfaces ofthe guide armsv to urge the latter bodily rearwardly into abuttingengagement with the front surface of the rear plate to hold the lockinglugs 23 in locking engagement with the locking projections 24, therebyto lock the guide arms in their guiding position. The depending lugs 20-on the members l1 have surfaces 26 engageable with abutment surfaces 21on the rear plate 9 to limit pivotal movement of the members l1 in onedirection. The upper surfaces of the plates 9, I are disposed below theIplane projections of the bottom surfaces of the shell guideways 8, sothat the lateral guides 1 of the drill hammer motor may move forwardlypast the plates when the guide arms are in their wide open non-guidingposition. The coil springs 25 which hold the guide arms in engagementwith the front surface of the rear plate 9, also serve to holdfrictionally the guide arms in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3.In this construction, the rear plate 9 has an integral bearing boss 28(Fig. 5) providing a journal for the forward bearing portion 29 of thefeed screw.

In the operation of the impro-ved drill steel guide, when it is desiredto start or spot a drill hole, the guide arms I3 may be lswung .manuallyabout their pivots into theguiding position shown in Fig. 2 with theirguiding portions I4 Vin engagement with the drill steel 5, and at thattime the guide arms are locked. position by the locking lugs 23 thereonengaging the locking projections 24 on the `rear plate 9. The coilsprings 25 yieldingly hold the locking lugs in locking engagement withthe locking projections. As the drill hammer motor is fed forwardlyalong the shell guideways, the front chuck housing B lengages the rearsurfaces of the guide arms and 'shoves the guide arms forwardly bodily`along the upper spacing sleeves to effect release of the locking lugs23 from the locking projections. When the arm lugs are released, thetorsion spring 2| acting on the members l-'l which in turn abut theguide arms, automatically swings the guide arms into their releasednon-guiding position shown in Fig. 3, so that the drill hammer motor canmove forwardly between the guide arms without interference therewith.The guide arms may then swing about theirA pivots relative to the thenstationary members H from the full line position shown in Fig. 3 to thedotted line position shown in vthat figure, to locate the latter beneaththe guide shell, so that the lateral projection of the guide arms ismaintained at a minimum. The coil springs 25 hold the guide arms infrictional contact with the rear plate, when the guide arms are in theirreleased non-guidingposition. Under certain conditions the guide Aarmsmay be individually moved into steel guiding position so that but asingle guide arm may serve to vguide the drill steel, for instanceduring thespotting of a hole 'on langinclined face; and by the provisionoT lthe sepa.- rate locking means for/each guide arm, the arms may beindividually locked in yguiding position. When the hammer motor is'inits retracted position on the guide shell and it is again desired toplace the guide arms in guiding relation with respect to the drillsteel, the `arrns'may be manually swung against the tension of thetorsion spring 2l into engagement 'with the drill r'steel and thenshoved rearwardly to bring thelocking lugs thereon into engagement withvthe locking projections.

As a result oi this invention *it will be noted that an improved `drillsteel gui-de 4is provided which is rugged in construction and relativelysimple in design. It willalso be Vevident thatby mounting the guide armslin the manner shown,

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the guide arms may be swung not only into their released non-guidingposition but may be swung downwardly toward one another beneath thesupporting guide, so that the lateral projection of the guide arms ismaintained at a minimum. Other uses and advantages of the invention willbe clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form whichthe invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that thisform of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that theinvention may be modified and embodied in various other forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element pivotallymounted on said support, a member rotatably mounted on said support onan aXis coincident with the pivotal axis of said guide element, saidmember ybeing engageable with said guide element to effect swinging yofsaid guide element about its pivot and said guide element beingswingable about its pivot relative to said member, and means associatedwith said member for effecting rotation thereof.

2. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,and a member rotatable relative to said guiding element and engageablewith said guiding element to eiiect swinging thereof out of 'its guidingposition, said guiding element being swingable relative to saidrotatable member out of engagement with the latter. l

3. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out `o1 steel guidingposition, a member rotatable relative to said guiding element andengageable with said guiding element to eiect swinging thereof out ofits guiding-posi tion, and a torsion spring for eecting rotation of saidmember.

4. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,a member rotatable relative to said guiding element and relative towhich said guiding element is swingable, said member being engageablewith said guiding element to effect swinging thereof out of its guidingposition, and means for limiting rotary movement of said member.

5. In a drill steel guide, a support, a. guiding element pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,a member rotatable relative to said guiding element and relative towhich said guiding element is swingable, said member being engageablewith said guiding element to effect swinging thereof out of its guidingposition, means for limiting rotary movement of said member, andconstantly acting means for rotating said member and for holding thelatter in yielding engagement with said limiting means. V

6. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element mounted on saidlsupport for movement into and out of steel guiding position, a membermounted on said support and engageable with said guiding element toeffect movement of the latter from one of said positions to the other,and means with which said member is rengageable for limiting movement ofsaid member when said guiding 'element is out of its steel guidingposition, said guiding element having additional tion, said guidingvelement having additional movement With respect to said member whilethe latter is held against movement by said limiting means, andresilient means for moving said member and for yieldingly holding thelatter in engagement with said limiting means.

8. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element mounted on saidsupport for movement into and out of steel guiding position, a membermounted on said support and engageable with said guiding element toeffect movementof the latter from one of said positions to the other,means with which said member is engageable for limiting movement of saidmember when said guiding element is out of its steel guiding position,said guiding element having additional movement with respect to saidmember while the latter is held against movement by said limiting means,and means for yieldingly holding said guiding element in its inoperativeposition.

9. In a drill steel guide, a support, a pair of guide arms pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,rotatable members mounted on said support to turn on axes coincidentwith the arm pivot axes, said members having engagement with said armsto effect swinging of the latter from. one position to the other, andtorsion spring means for rotatin said members.

10. In a drill steel guide, a, support, a, pair of guide arms pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,rotatable members mounted on said support to turn on axes coincidentwith the arm pivot axes, said members having engagement with said arms12. In a drill steel guide, a support, a pair' of guide arms pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,rotatable members mounted on said support to turn on axes coincidentwith the arm pivot axes, said members having abutment surfacesengageable with corresponding surfaces on said arms to swing the latterfrom one position to the other, Iand means for limiting rotary movementof said members, said armsbeing swingable relative to said members whenmovement of the latter is lim ited by said limiting means to move saidabutto effect swinging ofthe latter from one position to the other,means for limiting rotary movement of said members, and torsion springmeans for rotating said members and for yieldingly holding the latter inengagement with said limiting means.

11. In a drill steel guide, a support, a pair of guide arms pivotallymounted on said support `to swing into and out of steel guidingposition, rotatable members mounted on said support to turn on axescoincident with the arm pivot axes, said members having engagement withsaid arms to swing the latter from one position to the other, and meansfor limiting rotary movement of said members, said arms being swingablerelative to said members when movement of the latter is limited by saidlimiting means.

ting surfaces out of engagement.

13. In a drill steel guide, a support, a pair of guide arms pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,rotatable members mounted on said support to turn on axes coincidentwith the arm pivot axes, said members having abutmentl surfacesengageable with corresponding surfaces on said arms to swing the latterfrom one position to the other, means for limiting rotary movement ofsaid members, said arms being swingable relative to said members whenmovement of the latter is limited by said limiting means to move saidabutting surfaces out of engagement, and torsion spring means forrotating said members.

14. In a drill steel guide, a support, a pair of guide arms pivotallymounted on said support to swing into and out of steel guiding position,rotatable members mounted on said support to turn on axes coincidentwith the arm pivot axes, said members having abutment surfacesengageable with corresponding surfaces on said arms to swing the latterfrom one position to the other,`

means for limiting rotary movement of said members, said arms beingswingable relative to said members when movement of the latter islimited by said limiting means to move said abutting surfaces out ofengagement, and means for yieldingly holding said guide arms in theirinoperative position.

15. 1n a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element pivotallymounted on said support to swing relative thereto into and out of steelguiding position, a member rotatable relative to said guiding elementand engageable with said guiding element `to elect swinging thereof outof its guiding position, and means for effecting rotative movement ofsaid rotatable member.

16. In a drill steel guide, a support, a guiding element pivotallymounted on said support to swing relative thereto into and out of steelguiding position, a member rotatable relative to saidV guiding elementabout an raxis coincident with the Vpivotal axis thereof and engageablewith said ELMER G. GARTIN.

